Pagani sides with the wowsers
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011John Pagani reckons the BSA got it right about Aramoana, and I got it wrong. He thinks it was a “balanced call”, made by the experts we’ve appointed to administer standards that, after all, include good taste and decency and children’s interests. For him, I’m a “Bill of Rights fundamentalist” who treats this as an […]
Oh, and one other thing about the BSA’s dumb Aramoana decision
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011It was based on a really dumb complaint. Here’s the BSA’s summary of the complainant’s original grounds: … the policeman’s “obscene language” breached standards relating to good taste and decency, law and order, responsible programming and children’s interests. The complainant considered that it gave “a negative impression of New Zealand policing” and that “it signals […]
For fuck’s sake
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011I’ve read hundreds of Broadcasting Standards Authority decisions in my time. The vast bulk of them, I agree with. Most of the rest, I figure it’s a line call. Then there are the shockers. This is one. The BSA has found that a story on the TVNZ current affairs show Sunday about the Aramoana massacre […]
Memo to Greg O’Connor
Monday, April 18th, 2011It’s a bit of a worry when even the police don’t understand the rules of contempt of court. Police Association President Greg O’Connor scores an F on his understanding of the sub judice rule, as evidenced by his appearance on Close Up to defend the police’s handling of the Tiki Taane arrest. The sub judice […]
Jumping the gun?
Monday, April 18th, 2011Does Saturday’s front-page DomPost story break the law on reporting possible suicides? I think it does. The story reports that Timothy Parlane was “killed by a train” shortly after police were warned that he was “suicidal”. The Coroner’s Act prevents the publication of any particular relating to the manner of death when there’s reasonable cause […]
CERA sweepstake
Friday, April 15th, 2011How long before the first amendments are needed to the new Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act?
Bouquet to SST
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011Adam Dudding of the SST has written a terrific profile on Paul Henry, deftly revealing him as an egotistical blowhard, but somehow likeable. I am fascinated by Henry’s (no doubt accurate) vision of himself as an opinion merchant. The pride Henry takes in the quality of his opinions is related to their ability to provoke reactions, not any […]
Protesters ahoy
Tuesday, April 12th, 2011Andrew Geddis on Pundit has posted an analysis of some of the legal and constitutional issues surrounding Greenpeace’s protest against mining surveyers on the seas off the East Cape. Among other interesting points, he suggests that the seas can’t be a public place for the purposes of a charge of disorderly behaviour. I’ve suggested they […]
Fuck the police indeed
Tuesday, April 12th, 2011If the facts in this story are accurate, this seems a very questionable exercise of police powers: A number of people at the gig said [singer Tiki] Taane began singing “f*** the police” when they carried out a standard inspection of the club. When they approached him afterwards “things got out of hand”, a person […]
Que CERA, CERA?
Thursday, April 7th, 2011A scenario: a staff-member at the new Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority leaks some information to the media. Maybe it’s about waste or inefficiency in the recovery effort. Maybe it’s about a raging personality conflict hampering operations. Maybe it’s about a contractor on the take. The minister and the chief executive are furious about the leak. […]
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